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Eighty nine years have passed from
that tragic incident; one whose bitter consequences still affect the Muslims…

After occupying Mecca, they attacked
Medina; but the defenders of the city did not have the power to face them. They
occupied the city of Medina as well. Then, they entered the cemetery of Baqi
and destroyed the grave of Abdullah and Ibrahim, the father and son of the
Messenger of Allah (PBUH&HP), his wives, and all the companions and
followers with no exception; however, they did not leave it at there and
destroyed the metal shrine over the graves of Imam Hassan (PBUH), Imam Sajjad
(PBUH), Imam Baqir (PBUH), and Imam Sadiq (PBUH). Moreover, they destroyed the
birth place of Imam Hassan (PBUH) and Imam Hussain (PBUH), the graves of the
martyrs of Uhud, and the shelter (Bait al-Ahzan) Amir al-Mu’minin (PBUH) had
built for Lady Fatimah (PBUH)(1).

These are people who were later known
as the “Wahhabis”.

But this question might come into mind
that “How did Wahhabyiat emerge, and who was its founder?

The official preaching of the ideology
of Wahhabyiat, which considered all the other Islamic sects to be polytheists
and disbelievers in Allah (SWT), began by Ibn Taymiyyah in year 698 AH in
Syria. However, his views were strongly opposed by great Sunni and Shia
scholars. Ibn Taymiyyah died in the prison of Syria in year 728 AH, and his
thoughts became forgotten with his death.

However, the false beliefs of Ibn
Taymiyyah were revived by “Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab” with the support of
“Muhammad ibn Saud”, the governor of the city of “Diriyah”, in the region of
“Najd” in the Arabian Peninsula in year 1157 AH.

Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab, who is
known as the founder of Wahhabyiat, was born in year 1115 AH in “Uyyinah” in
the region of Najd in the Arabian Peninsula. He learned the Hanbali
Jurisprudence in his hometown and then moved to Medina to continue his studies.

During his studies, he mentioned
statements that revealed his deviated beliefs, to a level that some of his
teachers were worried about his future.

The most important thing Muhammad ibn
Abdul Wahhab did was that he structured the beliefs of Ibn Taymiyyah as a new
sect or school which was different from all the four Sunni schools as well as
Shiism.

As an example, following Ibn
Taymiyyah, the Wahhabis believe that Allah (SWT) sits on His throne in the
Heavens (2). Ibn Taymiyyah is so misguided that he considers Allah (SWT) to
have hands, feet, legs, and a face, as explained in his book “Al-Aqidah
al-Hamawiyah”. This view is in clear contradiction with the verses of the Holy
Quran, specifically verse 11 of Chapter 42 and verse 4 of Chapter 112, where
any similarity between Allah (SWT) and His creatures is negated: “There is none
like Him”, “There is no partner or similar to Him”.

Hisni al-Dimashqi (3) writes that:”
Ibn Taymiyyah has said,’ Whoever seeks help from a dead person or someone who
is far … is an oppressor, deviated, and polytheist one’. This statement shakes
man’s body. No one has said such a statement before the pagan Ibn Taymiyyah. He
has claimed that the Prophethood of the Messenger of Allah (PPBUH&HP)
ceased after his death. Such belief is definitely false, and a sign of
polytheism and hypocrisy (4)”.

Later, Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab went
on with his false beliefs to consider Muslims to be idol worshippers and
polytheists because of seeking help (Tawassul) from the Prophets and Imams; he
judged them as disbelievers, considered killing them to be allowed, and
regarded their properties as war booties. Based on this, he destroyed the
shrines of all the companions and saints in his vicinity. His followers also
killed thousands of innocent Muslims and plundered their properties based on
this ruling.

Zaini Dahlan, the jurisprudent of
Mecca, writes:” He was so extremist that even his brother, Shaykh Sulayman,
denied his beliefs and did not follow him in any of his innovations; to a level
that he wrote a book in denying the beliefs of his brother. One day, Sulayman
asked his brother,’ How many pillars does Islam have?’ Muhammad replied,’
Five’. Sulayman said,’ But you day that whoever is not a Wahhabi and does not
follow you is a polytheist, and you have made this the sixth pillar of Islam!’
Their dispute became so intense that Sulayman saved his life by escaping to
Medina (5)”.

It is so sad that this false belief
has made its way to our era, and at a time when mankind takes pride in
civilization and progress, the blood of thousands of innocent is spilled in
various countries in terrorist attacks based on the deviated beliefs of
Wahhabyiat. Such belief is a serious threat not only to the Muslims, but also
to all human beings with any religion or ideology…

Is it not on us to look for a solution
to oppose the propagation of such false, shallow beliefs?

(The above is a selection
taken from “Wahhabyiat from the Perspective of Wisdom and Religion”, by
Ayatullah Dr. Muhammad Hussaini Qazwini (with some changes and additions))

The Roshd Website offers condolences
to all Msulims of the world, especially you dear friend, upon 8th of Shawwal,
the anniversary of the destruction of the shrines of the Imams of Baqi (PBUH),
the symbol of oppression against the Ahl al-Bait (PBUT), and the manifestation
of crime and narrow-mindedness of the Wahhabis.

Footnotes:

1- History of
Wahhabis, p. 107 (126 in the Arabic version)

2- Al-Aqidah
al-Hamawiyah, p. 429

3- Khair al-Din
Zarkali, a Wahhabi scholar, has described Hisni Damishqi as “He is a
knowledgeable, pious, righteous, leader and Imam; he has written many books,
one of which is “Daf’ Shubah Man Shabbah Wa Tamarrad” (Al-A’laam, vol. 2, p. 69)